Pride
by dreamerbydawn
Summary: Two years after sirius leaves home, the black patriarch sees the man that the once disowned black heir had become and to his surprise it makes him...proud!


disclaimer : yes i do not own harry potter! do i always have to say it? its making me miserable you know?

* * *

Orion black stood before the mirror, straightening his tie when the door behind him opened to reveal an ugly elf which trotted in and handed him his cloak. With the silver silk fastened tightly around his neck, he walked briskly down to the living room, where his wife stood proudly beside his youngest- no change that- only son.

He looked down at Regulus black, the boy looked every bit like him from the dark hair, light eyes, sharp nose and high cheek bones, had failed to inherit his regal bearings and remained slight and almost a head shorter than him. He's only fifteen, Orion reminded himself as he tried to suppress his disappointment. His gaze flickered to his wife, as he wondered how she felt so proud of Regulus.

"Shall we?" he asked, with no inflection in his cold voice. He took in Walburga's nod and watched Regulus pull himself to his full height, carefully avoiding his fathers gaze. The black patriarch remembered his eldest- now disowned- son, how the boy never lost an opportunity to look right into his eyes, pouring out his hatred and disgust at all that the family stood for, in wordless defiance.

It used to irritate him then, make him wonder how the child could have gone so grievously astray and yet now… now he did not know, did not have a name to put to that something that tugged his heart.

Turning around, he brusquely reached for the powder held in the ornate mantle by the fire place and flooed himself to the destination that all parents, whose children studied in Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry headed to bright and early on September first every year – platform 9 ¾.

* * *

The platform was, as usual crowded and full of life. People bustled around in all directions, little first years looking nervous and excited, older students greeting their friends with shrieks of joy and parents hugging their kids goodbye or conveying their love, or in some cases even admonishing them .

Orion black did none of this, as he led his family of three quietly through the crowd, walking intently towards the gleaming red Hogwarts express that stood majestically under the thinning smoke.

His quick steps came to a sudden halt when the warm sunlight, flickering through to the station was suddenly withheld by angry looking clouds that instantly darkened the skies. A loud roar of a lion was followed by a rumbling noise, not very unlike thunder which gave way to the most spectacular display of colors as the fireworks erupted from unseen origin.

The captivating display, found itself an addition as red and gold sparklers began to fall from the sky, looking impressively like rain and turning everything it touched into its own colors.

"Ten galleons on black and potter" he heard a whisper from somewhere in the awe struck crowd.

"No one is betting against that mate" he heard a disembodied voice reply.

"Certainly outdid their last years performance didn't they?" another disembodied voice asked.

"Should have seen that one coming, being seventeen and of legal age to perform magic outside school, one should know they would put that to full use"

"Can't believe they started even before setting foot in the great hall" yet another voice was heard.

"Last year, last chance, I can see their hurry" a muffled laugh reached Orion.

The red and gold blitzkrieg came to a slow stop, after seemingly making sure that it had left nothing untouched. And once again a lion roared only this time it was accompanied by a life sized lion that stood atop the train, proud and strong.

One more roar and the skies cleared, revealing beneath a sea of Gryffindor colors as parents and students watched in momentary daze before breaking into tumultuous applause. The magic was impressive; no one could deny that and the fact that everything was vivid and bright did not seem to bother anybody.

"BLACK!" "POTTER!" The chants began, as the students quickly fell into the old habit of cheering the two dark haired boys like they did during Quidditch matches. The cheers got louder and louder and Orion saw his wife pull her son closer to herself as she moved in next to her husband. He could see her hissing something at him but he could hear nothing under the deafening din.

The lion standing on top of the train roared again engulfing the entire platform in silence, as the crowds obliged. A deep voice sounded, slurring in all the right places, making the words sound commanding and yet teasingly compelling as it spoke confidently.

"All hail the marauders, the purveyors of aids to magical mischief makers." Orion heard his son's voice but only the first half of his words registered with the head of the black family as he watched Sirius's words etching themselves in the skies.

Another round of cheers, and he snatched his eyes from the skies to see two boys standing on either side of the lion. The boy on the left side with messy hair and glasses did not receive much of Orion's attention which was captivated by the very son he had once disowned.

Sirius black stood tall, taller than even his father, his lean, well sculpted body the epitome of grace despite it lacking the proper posture that walburga always insisted on. Something in his lithe bearings spoke of his aristocratic and in Orion's own terms royal status. The pale skin shone and the dark hair gleamed. The grey eyes danced as he stood casually, his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans, the white button up shirt hugging his body in all the right places. (of course they are not a part of their own pranks)

_This_ orion thought _this is perfection_ and unknowingly, the emotion that he had felt all those years ago when his sons were born, crept up on him causing his stone heart swell. The pleasure lasted a moment before his heart constricted painfully. The laughing young man before him was not someone he recognized.

Where was the boy he knew? The sulking, short tempered child he had begun to regret was gone, replaced by this stranger. This stranger so full of life, so radiant…

"I, James potter and my brother Sirius Black" he said, motioning to sirius who took a quick bow "would like to first thank all those who helped this spectacular start of the year" the words were formal and yet had a note of childishness as the boy grinned.

"First and foremost, our fellow marauders, Remus lupin, and may I add the new head boy, who refuses to stand up here because of the very reason and peter Pettigrew, our dear sick friend who shall be joining us only sometime later in the week" Sirius began solemnly.

"Frank and Alice long bottom,, our beloved head boy and girl of last year who have gone on ahead to join the auror academy" James continued.

"And last but far from the least, Dorcas meadows, Marlene McKinnon and Lily Evans, the dashing trio that gives us the incentive to be as amazing as we are" Sirius finished.

"And now we'll move on to the _quintessential points_ as Remus likes to say. The marauder oath" James said, beaming.

"There are two reasons for this solemn occasion, the first being the fact that our beloved death eater friends along with Voldemort (a collective shudder) have not given us a very pleasant summer" Sirius said.

"And of course, the second is the more pressing loss that Hogwarts will face next year, its marauders" James said.

"This is the very reason that we have decided to make our mark and give all of you one unforgettable year ahead" Sirius said, his best crooked smile in place.

"To peeves, to our friends, to our beloved teachers, especially Minnie and to our headmaster" James began again, drawing himself to his full height.

"We marauders give you our word that we shall wreck havoc and create mischief every other day" Sirius said, also drawing himself up

Both boys, placed their hands at their hearts, looked down at the crowd and said together "we solemnly swear that we shall be up to no good, so let the mischief begin"

Orion black stood transfixed, appalled at Sirius's behavior. His casual insult of the death eaters, and the dark lord, and more importantly the way he seemed determined to break all rules took the older man off guard.

Both boys had vanished within the crowds thronging them and all around him he heard excited whispers, some were awed by the antics, some seemed to hero worship the two and almost all girls seemed willing to die for Sirius.

"Such talent I haven't seen in years" he heard a parent say.

"Assets to the wizarding world I tell you" was another comment.

"Such darlings, I expect not even Minerva can be angry with them for long"

"I can see why there are so many expectations from them"

"Brilliant" "brave" "kind hearted" "loyal"

He heard the words coming at him from all directions even as he tried desperately to tune them out. The crowd that had begun to disperse, Orion noticed were not just Gryffindors but Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and even some Slytherins.

A few carriages away from him, he saw Sirius and his 'brother' standing with the potters, Mrs. Potter was giving them each a hug and kissing their foreheads while Mr. Potter clapped them on their shoulders, before both boys got on the train.

He caught one last glimpse of Sirius, realizing that the boy wielded raw power amongst the general public, seeing that he knew more people and even more people wanted to know him made him influential, the respect he had earned, the undeniable talent, the careless confidence, the way people seemed to love him without trying….all of it hit Orion and in that one moment when he saw the man that Sirius had become, he found that right then he didn't care that the boy had no sense of blood supremacy…right then all he knew was that he was proud.

Proud of the son he had disowned.

* * *

A/N : okay if you noticed, i lost the inital plot of the story...it was supposed to be a bit angsty i think...but since i continued the second part after two months, it came out this way! sorry if you're disappointed...either way lemme know if you like it or not!


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